Equinox 900 struggles...

[Ted S]

I have about 6 hours on my new 900. I went to three different spots that have been pounded by myself and others. I have a 43 Merc,a beat up Rosey and maybe 3 wheats and a memorial cent. I dropped the iron bias and recovery speed to get more depth. I have been running Park 1 and Field 2. Sensitivity from 21-26 depending EMI conditions. Yesterday I had a hard time pairing the headphones. Did I get a lemon or are there no coins where I hunted? Thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated! Thanks! Ted

 

[Elmy]

compare it to your 800.....as a take along....check targets using both before digging.
This is how I decided a ctx 3030 was not what I really wanted over my etrac.

 

[markinswpa]

I have about 6 hours on my new 900. I went to three different spots that have been pounded by myself and others. I have a 43 Merc,a beat up Rosey and maybe 3 wheats and a memorial cent. I dropped the iron bias and recovery speed to get more depth. I have been running Park 1 and Field 2. Sensitivity from 21-26 depending EMI conditions. Yesterday I had a hard time pairing the headphones. Did I get a lemon or are there no coins where I hunted? Thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated! Thanks! Ted

Ted on the headphones, after the initial pairing they should pair up almost instantly when you turn both on. I turn my headphones first then my detector. An old habit for quick pair up with the 800. Sometimes I have to turn on the Bluetooth button, just activate, not press nd hold and they pair immediately. I think I had to fiddle around with them once or twice after a factory reset but after that pairing seems smooth. In my soil most detectors struggle to see past 8 inches unless in clean old ground. IMO the separation ability on the 900 is better than the 800 but depth goes to the 800. Two other guys in my area running 900s say the same thing. I like to run Field 2 5 tone rec. 4 Ib 0. In a trashy area I will some times raise Rec. to 6 or 7. I rarely go below 4 though, any lower elongates and distorts the "coin tone " signal I listen for. You might try all metal with Vol. down a 2 just to listen for the blips. Change directions. Then again the area you hunt could have very few targets left. Do you use 5 tone or all tones ? Do you still have an 800 ? Good luck. Mark

 

[Ted S]

Thanks guys! I also have a 600. That machine got me over 30 silver coins last year. Elmy...I really can't drag along 2 machines. Mark...I like 5 tones. I may hunt a couple of hours today and report back.

 

[TC-NM]

By what you're saying here, I think you're doing pretty good. 2 silver dimes and 3 wheats. You don't say exactly where you hunt. Is it a city park, a lot or rural, etc. Most of us get skunked and end up with 2 to 3 zinc pennies (like me) or nothing at all. Most parks yield the common coinage and hardly any old coins. Just keep plugging away and you'll get the hang of it.

TC-NM

 

[fwcrawford]

Here are my thoughts… I really do not believe I would see a lot more finds with the new Equinox or the Manticore than what I have already made with my 800 in the sites I have searched.
Now I am not saying there is nothing left, but I do not think buying something else would really open these sites up again.
I am sure the new Equinox detectors and the Manticore are great detectors, but as of now, I cannot see going to a new detector.
If you have made finds with the 900 as you say, I think it is working fine… not sure you will experience what you did with your 600..I do not think I would… man I have found a lot of silver coins with my old trusty 800.
JMO….

 

[JimmyCT]

Thanks guys! I also have a 600. That machine got me over 30 silver coins last year. Elmy...I really can't drag along 2 machines. Mark...I like 5 tones. I may hunt a couple of hours today and report back.

Send me your 900 and I’ll check the performance for you
Joking aside, you may have done a damn good job cleaning these spots out with your 600.

 

[fwcrawford]

Send me your 900 and I’ll check the performance for you
Joking aside, you may have done a damn good job cleaning these spots out with your 600.

I agree!!

 

[TC-NM]

I third that!

 

[Ted S]

I spent a good 3 1/2 hours hunting today and ended up with 7 lousy coins. The oldest was an 1866 shield nickle. 1 1946 rosey, 3 memorial cents, a corroded wheat cent and a clad quarter. These coins came from three different ball fields that have been pounded for over 40 years. I am starting to think that I wasted a lot of money and maybe these places I hit with my 600 did the trick. I switched between Park 1 and Field 2 again. The highest I could run sensitivity was 25,many times dropping to 21-23 to eliminate the chatter. What's the use of Minelab increasing sensitivity to 28 if the machine is not up to the task? The headphones paired up instantly today so no problems there. I will give the machine so more time. Thanks guys! Ted

 

[JimmyCT]

I spent a good 3 1/2 hours hunting today and ended up with 7 lousy coins. The oldest was an 1866 shield nickle. 1 1946 rosey, 3 memorial cents, a corroded wheat cent and a clad quarter. These coins came from three different ball fields that have been pounded for over 40 years. I am starting to think that I wasted a lot of money and maybe these places I hit with my 600 did the trick. I switched between Park 1 and Field 2 again. The highest I could run sensitivity was 25,many times dropping to 21-23 to eliminate the chatter. What's the use of Minelab increasing sensitivity to 28 if the machine is not up to the task? The headphones paired up instantly today so no problems there. I will give the machine so more time. Thanks guys! Ted

Ted, I’m sure there are going to be only a handful of situations or less running it at 28 sensitivity. Like being out in the middle of nowhere, no cell towers, no industry, no homes, no humans lol
I’d be happy with a day like yours! At this one particular site I’ve hunted 4 hours a couple times. The worst day ever still sticks deeply in my mind…after a little past 4 hours at this old park I found one stinkin’ lincoln penny . Pitiful for sure!
I feel you are believing the 900 is light years ahead of the 600 but unfortunately it just isn’t. Did Minelab make some improvements? Sure they did but I feel they were minor enhancements with a small boost in performance. Nothing earth shattering by any means. At least not to me anyway.
Sounds like you did incredible “damage” to your hunting properties with the 600 and need to expand to “new, un-hunted by you” areas.
Good luck Ted and look forward to your posts!

 

[Ted S]

Thanks Jimmy! I am going out tomorrow again!

 

[fwcrawford]

I think that 600 spoiled you Ted…

 

[Ted S]

It probably did Felix!! Ruined for life!!!

 

[JimmyCT]

It probably did Felix!! Ruined for life!!!

That 600 was more capable then you realized and yes, you ruined your sites for life

 

[JimmyCT]

Thanks Jimmy! I am going out tomorrow again!

Good luck Ted! Have fun, enjoy the fresh Spring air and I hope you find nice treasures.

 

[Mark kus]

Ted on the headphones, after the initial pairing they should pair up almost instantly when you turn both on. I turn my headphones first then my detector. An old habit for quick pair up with the 800. Sometimes I have to turn on the Bluetooth button, just activate, not press nd hold and they pair immediately. I think I had to fiddle around with them once or twice after a factory reset but after that pairing seems smooth. In my soil most detectors struggle to see past 8 inches unless in clean old ground. IMO the separation ability on the 900 is better than the 800 but depth goes to the 800. Two other guys in my area running 900s say the same thing. I like to run Field 2 5 tone rec. 4 Ib 0. In a trashy area I will some times raise Rec. to 6 or 7. I rarely go below 4 though, any lower elongates and distorts the "coin tone " signal I listen for. You might try all metal with Vol. down a 2 just to listen for the blips. Change directions. Then again the area you hunt could have very few targets left. Do you use 5 tone or all tones ? Do you still have an 800 ? Good luck. Mark

This Ted works every time for me.

 

[Ted S]

Wouldn't an iron bias setting of 0 make the machine more chatty? I can try these tips but I may become more confused...Thanks! Ted

 

[JimmyCT]

Wouldn't an iron bias setting of 0 make the machine more chatty? I can try these tips but I may become more confused...Thanks! Ted

It’s gonna be more chatty in the sense it’s going to let more iron through and be heard. Think of iron bias as an “iron suppressor” the higher you go in number the more it’s gonna suppress iron from being heard. Only downfall is if you have a handicapped non- ferrous target mixed in with iron, you may not hear it.

 

[Ted S]

Thanks Jimmy! I think I will lower the recovery speed a bit first and hunt with the horseshoe button on...It's quite windy here and supposed to hit 81* today. The ground will dry quite quickly! Just over a week ago I was hunting and it was a high of 41* with 20 mph west winds...